Final Fantasy IX: Future of the Past
by Surrect Tiger
Summary: Zidane, who was once king of Alexandria, was blamed for giving orders to destroy the city. Weird thing is, he remembers giving the orders and not at the same time. New technology is exploding everywhere. People he's never seen are following him. And memor
1. Final Fantasy IX: Future of the Past, Pa...

Final Fantasy IX and everything related to it is Squaresoft's property.

This story was written by QualmC661.

The more reviews I get, the more encouraged I am to push on. Please R+R, and I will continue these chapters.

****

Final Fantasy IX:

The Future of the Past

Chapter One

**_Where SHOULD_** I go this time? he wondered as he looked ahead, to his right, then his left.. Everyone patiently waited as he decided which way to go. Behind him laid the ruins of Alexandria, which had fallen long ago. Still, from where he was, he could see the torn walls, vines growing over destroyed buildings, and the crater in the center of the city.

The castle itself was still an amazing sight to see, but in the completely wrong meaning. All the rooks were at the base of the structure (which had once magnificently stood on all corners). Bricks lay around in a five hundred fot radius, blackened by a clue of a once-burning fire. Only forty feet, at the peak of the highest wall still standing, was the memorial of an incident which no one wished to _have _memories of.

The thing that amazed them most (and once again, a terrible memory) was the beautiful silver blade, much like that of a giant sword's, that once was embedded in the center of the castle, the foundation of the structure, the people, and the nation. It now was flat on the ground, broken in two, the silver reflection of anything now gone. Dirt and mud covered the wonderous sword that the people were once proud of.

Now, only stones, fallen buildings, long-dead corpses, and the memories of Alexandria existed within the city.

To his right was the sea, sparkling against the shining sun, which was high in the sky. It was clean, fresh, and was unknowing about the destruction that had befallen the city near it.

To his left was the city of Lindblum. It still stood, but in a different manner than it had once. People roamed the streets in search of food, dozens dying each day. Street gangs, beggars, muggers, prostitutes, and rebels made the roads hard to travel around. At least three dozen buildings were burned each day by rebellious, evil groups that hated the leaders of the once-great city.

And ahead was something he would never forget coming down, which had only happened recently. Constructionists had made a large opening in the thick, vast stone separation that used to break the continent into three main parts. Now there were only thin, tall columns that had been hollowed out and turned into buildings. There were four still standing, but one wasn't being used (at least, not legally).

"Let's go home," he told his family. That was in Lindblum, on a city street. It was very dangerous, but being a poor family, it was all they could afford. He and his wife were on a chocobo, and his oldest son and two daughters were on the second, his son guiding it.

He was taller than most people on the continent (seven feet), and very bulky. His pig-type nose and tall ears made him fairly distinct from others, also. A white shirt (too small for him to actually wear) and a brown vest with aqua green pants and a loose brown belt covered his furry, muscular body. He wore boots with turned-down lips, gloves with large, metallic rigs around the edges and a pilot's cap. Two beady, green and black eyes quickly moved around inside the goggles.

Baku pulled the reins of his chocobo, named Ptera, and it "squeed" under the pressure. It ran at full speed towards the city of Lindblum, and the younger female chocobo named Candy (chosen by their youngest daughter) followed the older male Prix.

**"WATCH YOUR** step," he warned his children as they climbed off the animal. It was taller than any of them, much taller than a horse, so he even had a hard time getting off himself. He led his family through the street after tying up Prix and Candy. It was, like described, extremely rough. It had completely changed from the time when Baku was his young, entergetic self.

He remembered growing up in the city for a few years, running and playing through the streets like it was nothing. It wasn't. Now, it was really a danger for a person to go out unarmed. Everyone now carried swords, spears, lances, axes, you name it. Fires burned in barrels. His children were often frightened by people who were dememented, rocking back and forth on benches, shouting, screaming, and spitting at anyone that walked by.

Everyone in the town hated each other. It was nothing like what it was destined to be, a rich, great city of royalty, clean and pure in power and heart. They were at each other's throats, all people constantly at war (socially, if not physically). One could not walk through a street without seeing a fight break out between people for various reasons.

He guided the family of five into a small wooden door built into the side of a building, and instantly shut and locked it. Break-ins were very common, too. Usually they ended in murder, or at least killing, one way or the other. The victims were actually often the winners in the fight for their life.

Nothing like it used to be.

**IT WAS **getting late. The sky had turned dark, and despite the fact that she had screamed to stay awake longer than she was usually allowed to, his youngest, Rissen, had fallen asleep at her usual bedtime, anyway. He picked her up. He noticed she was heavy, even thought she was only four. He set her in her bunk bed beside Temra, his other six year-old daughter, who was also asleep. He then sat down to a table, and his son, eight, was beginning to yawn.

"Dad," he asked, standing and looking out the window, "Someone's being broken in on." Baku came to the window. Sure enough, like Kcerr, his son, had said, three men were already running from a house, and the local official were rushing to the scene on plated chocobos.

Thunder shook the ground as the first few drops of rain were beginning to hit the ground. "...Why did this stuff start happening?" Kcerr asked. "When?" Baku sighed as he prepared to tell his son how it began.

"I was much younger, then. My hair was red, not gray. My weapon was polished, not cracked. And the great city of Alexandria once stood as the greatest nation in the history of Gaia..."

Buildings lay in peices, vines growing around their bases and working their way up the walls, and curving down the other side through a ceilingless top.

"The buildings were wonderful. They ranged from huts to mansions. Not a single hole in any wall was seen."

Skeletons of people and animals are everywhere. Parts of bones are scattered through the destroyed streets.

"People of the city were amazing. They had many skills, and there was hardly any crime. The streets thrived with living, breathing people."

The castle is torn open, the floor exposed to the gentle rain now pattering around on the marble floors...where there is still flooring. The muddy foundation pushes up through crackes and holes. Bugs, snakes, and all wildlife inhabit the rooms which once held many kings, queens, princes, and princesses. The theater is punched through by trees, creating a natural stage. The main hallway is torn open, the ceiling gone, but the sky blocked by a green canvas of leaves from trees standing hundreds of feet high. The main gate now lay in the moat, soggy and warped. It was Alexandria...

**...IT** **WAS** Alexandria. A parade marched through the main street. People shouted and cheered for the new King and Queen. A band played professionally in the background, though only a few could hear them. Chocobos were dressed beautifully, mascots were brought through on coaches, and great, vast crowds gathered at all sides of every street. Millions of multi-colored streamers flew through the air. Fireworks exploded in the air. Not a trace of destruction, debris, or even an overturned stone were not to be found for ten miles in any direction from any point within the city.

In the center of all attention was a main coach. It was made of special, rare and beautiful wood, lined with pure gold. On top, in solid crytal seats, were King Zidane Tribal and Queen Garnet Tribal. They were married just hours ago, and were waving to people. Holding hands with the free sides, they smiled and laughed with everyone else.

"It was a moment I would never forget. They must have been the happiest couple I've ever seen in my entire life. I've never seen Zidane smile much bigger than he had been right then. I remember...I was standing..."

Baku stood in the Northwestern Rook, watching the entire parade. From a modified telescope, he could see the two on top of the coach. It was hard to see anything, though, for all the streamers. He didn't see a single person frowning, except one...

"...Oh...a party pooper." The man frowning was fairly old. He was fairly tall, and had a blood spot on his right arm.

"Let me look, Baku," said Cinna, behind him. Cinna was shorter than most of the team. He wore a metal hat similar to that of a chef's, and brown shoulderpads. Brown cuffs, shorts, and boots decorated the rest of his body, and a short metal hammer was strapped to his back.

Nmi was there, too. His real name was Atrogghus Bersobin, but everyone called him Nmi, for some reason. He was a strong man that wore a blue uniform, like Terigan, who was beside him. The only difference was that he had long, black hair and a mustache. One would almost think that they were brothers...which was true. Terigan and Nmi had grown up together in Alexandria, and took the place of Generals Steiner and Beatrix when they were married, and moved to Lindblum.

Baku stepped backwards, and let Cinna peer through the telescope. The rest of Tantalus was there, too, not including Terigan and Nmi, leaders of the Army of Alexandria. He was like a family member to them all, also. It was the greatest day of Zidane's life, and they _had_ to be there for him. They were his brothers, his family. As he had once said, after being injured very badly and saved by Marcus, "You guys are my brothers, and nothing stops that."

One thing stopped it for Baku, though. It stopped it for Tantalus.

"What was it?" Kcerr asked. His beautiful but aging wife named Ptree leaned forward, listening intently between their conversation.

Almost three years after their marriage, Zidane claimed that he was taking Garnet to another continent for a short vacation. He didn't tell anyone except Baku where, fearing that crowds might follow him. Then it wouldn't be a vacation at all.

Then it happened.

The Alexandrian army turned on itself, and began to attack the city from within.

The orders, announced by the army leader, Terigan, after the attack, were given by a short young man with a tail.

A short young man with a tail named Zidane, by mail.

Alexandria would never revive from the attack, and Baku insisted that the Tantalus brothers help rebuild the city. The only looked at him in complete dissapointment, and all went off their own ways.

Tantalus was his family as much as it was Zidane's. Marcus, with the red cloth covering his eyes, was an expert thief, as the rest of them. He was one of Baku's favorites to use in sneaking missions. Cinna was the "artillery" of the group. His heavy, short body was excellent for barelling right through a horde of soldiers. Blank, like Marcus, always had a bandanna pulled over his eyes, but he seemed to see everything around him. He was a very animated character, a likeable pickpocket.

Now they were nothing, caused by Zidane.... Now Baku felt a new emotion against his friend that he had never felt before. He, over the years, had learned to live with it, but hated the impish leader from then on. How could he have done that? What was the reason? What in the world could cause him to attack the entire city, full of innocent people? It wasn't something he would do...

Terigan had come to him eight months later, expressing his deepest apologies for the man. Terigan always wore a blue uniform, and was a very skilled left-handed swordfighter. His long beard reached down to his chest, almost white. He would have looked like Santa Claus if he didn't always wear a cold, expressionless face.

There was a knocking on Baku's door, in Lindblum, almost ten years earlier. It was metal gloves against a thin wooden door. He opened it, and saw Terigan. The man hadn't changed, as he had not since he had been known to anyone. Lindblum was then a clean city, pure and just, like Alexandria had once been...

"Come in," invited Baku. He shut the door behind Terigan. The man sat down at a table. There was hardly any furniture, only a bed, lampstand, table, sink, and toilet in one room. He wasn't married yet, apparently.

"I came..." Terigan sighed, then continued. "I came to tell you how sorry I am about Alexandria."

"It's a little bit late for that. A little eights months too late. Besides, it wasn't your fault."

"I know, bu it is all I can do. Here, my main reason was to give you this." Terigan reached into a pocket in his dark blue uniform, and pulled out a yellow, dirty, aged envelopethat was still sealed. He handed it to Baku. Baku amost tore it in half trying to open it as the soldier handed him an envelope opener. He pulled out a letter, stiff and hard to open because it had apparently been in water:

"Baku - I am sorry about Alexandria. I truly never left the continent, just created a diversion to go to the Northern Beach. I must speak with you soon. I did not cause the destruction of Alexandria. I wish I did know, so I could find him and give him the slowest death possible. Only a coward would do something like that. Why would they do it in the first place? There are no existing rebellions against Alexandria, are there? I am very sorry, once again, but I did not cause this. Now I cannot talk to anyone publicly about anything until things have lightened up. I fear death may come to me if I happen to find an enraged victim. I wish to speak with you as soon as possible, but cannot at the moment. I will let you know the moment I am free from this accusement, and we shall talk. - Zidane Tribal

PS - Garnet is safe with me, and she says she wants to stay by my side until things clear up."

"Once again...I...am truly-" began Terigan.

"How did you get this?" asked Baku, looking up at him.

"I found it stuck in my door as I came to my apartment. Another letter told me to give it to you without reading it."

"...When was this?"

"A week ago. It's a week's journey from Alexandria, you know that." Terigan stood.

Baku looked down to the letter.

"..._I truly never left the continent_." He was never gone?

"I can't believe Zidane would pull a stunt like this," said Terigan. "I truly wish I knew why. He was one of my best friends."

"He _was_ my best friend," commented Baku, re-enveloping the letter.

"Zidane...we spent many high and low times together," said Terigan. "I don't know what changed him..."

He was Baku's brother. A member of Tantalus.

_His own brother_.

"So this Zidane guy destroyed the city?" asked Kcerr.

"Yes," answered Baku.

"And you still don't know why?" questioned Ptree.

"No."

"He never gave you another letter telling you where to meet him?"

"I haven't heard from him in ten years. He's probably on another continent, or dead altogether..."

"Don't talk like that," said Ptree, standing and walking over to him. "You'll eventually hear from him."

"I don't know," answered Baku. "I don't know if I _want_ to hear from him." He looked out the window. The dim, dangerous streets were now drenched in rain and randomly illuminated by flashing lightning.

It was like the night Alexandria was destroyed.

He heard a knocking at the door at three in the morning. He quickly put on some clothes, and cracked open the door. He couldn't be too careful, for now was the perfect time to break in to someone's house. Rain was very heavy now, and blue-tinted lightning flashed behing a dark figure.

He lit a lamp, and brought it back to the door. He saw a man in a black cloak, soaking wet. His face was hidden by the tip of the hood, and he was very hard to see. The voice was deep and unrecognizeable.

"Hello," said the voice, very quietly. Baku noticed the man was slightly shorter then him.

"What do you want?" asked Baku, groggily. "It's three in the morning, and everyone's asleep. Is this important? I mean, can't it wait?"

"I think right now is the best time."

"Best time for what?"

"Is anyone awake?"

"Listen, who are you? I'll call the authorities-"

"That won't be necessary. Just meet me tomorrow, at twelve, in the bar across the street. Make sure no one is with you, or I will not be there..."

"Why?"

"If you think why is important, you will follow my instruction. Have no guards follow you, have no family members, no animals, no one. Just you, your clothes, and your weapon." He turned, and began to walk away.

"Wait, who are you?" asked Baku, now beginning to awaken.

"...You will see." The figure walked away. Only the outline of the poncho was seen through the spatters of drops against the person. Then Baku's heart jumped.

Through the rain, the last thing viewable was a small, fairly long shape...

..._A tail_.

****

CONTINUED IN CHAPTER TWO


	2. Final Fantasy IX: Future of the Past, Pa...

Final Fantasy IX and everything related to it is Squaresoft's property.

This story was written by QualmC661.

****

Final Fantasy IX:

The Future of the Past

Chapter Two

**HE WASTED** no time. Grabbing his coat and his large sword, he ran out into the rainy night. "Hey!" he shouted, not caring if he woke anyone. They were most likely awake at this hour, anyway. "Hey! Zida-" he stopped mid-sentence, realizing that if anyone knew that name, they would be after not only Zidane, but Baku himself, also. So he continued shouting "Hey!" and running. He caught the black figure where the railway station used to be. Now there was graffiti on the walls, trash everywhere, and a loose rail car hanging from a metal pipe. It had been there ever since he could remember.

The figure stopped when it realized that he was in the same room. Now shielded from the rain my a rebuilt, aluminum ceiling, the figure pulled off it's hood, and turned to Baku.

"...Zidane?"

"Wow. Someone who remembers that name," he said, in a bored tone.

"Zidane? Where have you been all these years?" Baku pulled off his own hood, still not able to see his old friend.

"I thought I said it would be best to discuss this at the bar, tomorrow."

"What? ...Why not right now? There's plenty of time, and we're alone."

"Not alone." The figure put it's hood back on. "We're never alone. Don't say a thing to a single person." It leapt backwards five feet into the air, on top of the disabled rail car. Baku took a step forward.

"What do you mean? No one ever comes here..."

"You are never alone, Baku. You will know what I mean in due time." The figure took a step backwards.

"I haven't seen you in ten years, and you're _avoiding me_? I'm your old friend, what's you're pro-" Then he caught himself. He remembered how much he hated Zidane, due to what he had caused. The flood of hate overcame him suddenly, and he was even surprised, himself, at the deepness and sternness which came from his own voice. "Just tell me," he asked. "Why did you do it?"  
"I didn't," he answered, seeming to know what Baku was talking about. "I promise. I know these words won't mean much for anyone else, but they're absolutely true."

"There's no other person to blame _but_ you.... _Why?_ _Why_ did you kill millions of innocent people? _Why_ did you destroy the greatest nation by itself?"

"I cannot answer those questions. I've never killed an innocent person in my life. That would be the greatest burden on the rest of my life." Baku himself knew it was true, but for some reason, could not accept it as a _fact_. He knew Zidane wouldn't harm a fly if he had the chance. But millions of people?...

"Terigan showed me your letter eight months after the destruction. You said you would be back to talk to me..."

"...And here I am."

"But so long?"

"I told you 'Until it clears up', not a specific date. Now it has cleared up."

"He also showed me the letter you wrote to him, requesting that he attack Alexandria." Zidane fell silent. No comment was made for a minute and a half. "...Did you write it?"

There was the longest silence that seemed as a null in time to Baku. There was nothing more empty than these moments that invaded his mind. It meant that he had done it. He had heartlessly killed millions of people. Was he going to kill Baku now, too, since he knew Zidane was guilty?

"...I don't know..."

"Either you wrote it, or you didn't. I hope you haven't, but hope can't change a thing."

"It seems like...I remember writing it...but I don't remember it, either. Like I have memories of..." he stopped in mid sentence.

_He wrote that letter_, thought Baku. _I can't believe it_.

"Why did you do it?" he asked. There was no answer for a long time. "Why did you do it?" he asked louder, geting more and more frustrated.

He remembered the instant the first sword was raised in battle to the final person dead, falling to the ground. He had seen children running, screaming for their parents, struck down by the soldiers before his eyes. He had nightmares for years about the sights he saw. Even if they _were_ given his command, he definently _wouldn't_ have asked to torture them...would he? He had certainly changed before the marriage, though...

Then his worst nightmares had even plagued him up till now. Tantalus had broken up before the battle was even finished. All because of him. All because of..._him_...

His eyes were now stinging, trying to hold back the tears. Memories. Nightmares. Friends gone forever. His vision was blurred, eyes red, swollen, and glassy. He had never come this close to crying. "_Zidane!!!_" He shouted at the top of his lungs. He was sure he had awakened someone in the city, but he didn't care anymore. "_You broke them! You killed Tantalus!!!_" He walked to the rail car, and with amazing strength for a man his age, pulled himself up onto the car. It was slightly tilted inside, but not really noticeable.

He could see that Zidane had already stepped back a few feet, aware that the man was angry and unpredictable. "How can you do that?" he whispered. "_How can you do that!!!???_" he now screamed. Baku drew his sword, and ran at him. Slashing horizontally once, he missed Zidane as the figure leapt above the blade, whizzing underneath his feet. It landed on a control panel built into the wall. Parts of glass and plastic sprayed them both for a split second.

Baku fell to his knees, tired. He had only just woken up, and fighting right now wasn't a healthy thing for him. He leaned against the sword. "...Why...why...why?" he asked, breathing hard.

"I didn't do that. Something is odd." Despite the recent attack, Zidane got on his knees also, beside the old man, putting an arm on his shoulder. "I remember writing the paper, although I didn't do it. I know."

"You know?"

"I _know_, somehow, like something made me forget doing it. I probably wrote it, but i _definently_ had no intention to."

"...Ter...Terigan...have you seen him lately?"

"No, but I know where he lives. If you come with me, we can find the other Tantalus brothers."

"...You...know where they live...too?..."

"Yes," answered Zidane. "What happened with them?"

"I tried...to get them to help me rebuild the city...like we had in Lindblum.... They all looked at me like I was an idiot, and simply walked away. I never...tried to find them again."

"...Well, come with me, tomorrow, and we'll find them."

"It's not that easy," said Baku.

"Oh yeah? Why not?"

"...I'm a married man, Zidane. Things have changed. I'm no thief."

"Married? How long?"

"Nine years. Married three months after Terigan gave me the letter."

"Who is it?"

"You don't know her. Her name is Ptree."

"Yeah? Have a family?" Zidane asked.

"Yes. Three kids. Rissen, my youngest daughter, four. Another daughter, Temra, and she's six. Last one's Kcarr, my son, he's twelve."  
"Fair sized family..."  
"Yes. You see, I can't leave them all here. This place has changed."

"Then bring them with us." Baku was about to fight that, but thought about it.

"...I think that would work. How long will we be gone?"

"Does it matter?"

"...Not really. Anywhere's gotta be healthier for them than this place."

"Then I will come to your house tomorrow at twelve noon."

"Alright."

**THE** **MAN** sat down at the table around several others. He gripped his suitcase tightly, not knowing what stunts characters like this would pull in the dark. They were in a dark room, rented out by the government of Lindblum to themselves. It was in the farthest North stone column, one of the four that stood. No one was around for miles. He coughed, and waited for their leader to begin the meeting. He sat at the head of the table, the window behind him making his figure black against the bright sun. "Let us begin," he said, after everyone was settled down.

Barrer stood, and set his suitcase on the table. He was forty, not too old for a Burmecian, and very muscuar. "Gentlemen," said the leader, "this is Barrer Timmon, a fellow Burmecian, loyal to us for thirty years." He didn't recieve an applause, not that he expected any.

"Good morning," he began. "I have recently been informed by some contacts that you need me here with some of my equipment. Before I start, may I ask why?"

"Your purpose is to bring us your...'equipment'...for a hit." answered the leader.

"An assassination?"

"No, revenge. Revenge for what has been done to our homeland." He couldn't see the others, so he couldn't tell what they were, Burmecians, Alexandrians, citizens of Lindblum...

"Well," he said, opening the case, "I have brought many things that might interest you." He pulled out something the others couldn't yet see. "Can we cut on a light?" Light immediately flooded the room, temprorarily blinding everyone. When his eyes adjusted, the leader could see Barrer was holding a three foot long woden stick. On top was a very thin metal tube. Near the bottom end, where it pointed outwards, was a ring with a curve inside.

"What is that?" he asked.

"It is a weapon," answered Barrer. "An extremely lethal weapon called a rifle. Let me demonstrate..." He reached into his suitcase, and revealed a small, two-inch long cylinder with a blunted tip. "This is a bullet. You load it through the back..." He broke the back of the tube, and inserted the bullet, then snapped the tube back in place. "...Then you cock it." He pulled a lever on the side. "Take off safety." He pushed a button in, and it popped out the other side, red. "Aim and fire." Pointing the gun at a bird that had just landed on the window, he pulled the trigger.

The explosion and flash from the barrel was totally unexpected; everyone jumped in surprise. Barrer walked over, knelt down, and picked up the dead bird by the foot. The chest and head were completely gone, making a mess on the ground. "This is the power of a gun, a rifle. You do _not_ point it at anything except what you want to destroy."

"Very good," said the leader, making a large grin. "Excellent. What else?" Barrer continued at his briefcase. The next thing he pulled out was a small stick with a split at the end. It was black, and had a red button on the side.

"This is called a taser." He pointed it aways from himself and everyone near him. "It uses electrical currents to stun an enemy. You cannot kill them with it, but it will make them freeze in order to use the rifle efficiently." He demonstrated. He picked up a sheet of paper, pointed the taser at it, and pushed the button. A bright spark shot from both ends, and smacked the paper. It caught on fire. Barrer dropped it on the stone floor, and stomped it out.

"This is promising," said the leader. "Do you have anything else?"  
"One more thing," answered Barrer. He put everything back in, and pulled out a helmet, although it was like no helmet any of them had seen before. It was black metal, and had red and green wires poking out of the sides. Two goggles were embedded at eye height, and a button was on the side of the head. He handed it to the leader, and the leader put it on.

"What does it do?"

"Hit the button on the side of your head."

"Alright...ok, now everything's green..."

"Someone cut off the light." When it went off, they heard the leader jump.

"This is amazing..." he said. The light came back on.

"They're called night vision goggles. They are used at nighttime." He took the goggles, and shut the suitcase.

When everyone was gone except the leader and Barrer, the leader shut the dor and locked it. "That was a good show," he said. "I am truly amazed, unlike I've ever been before. Where did you get these things?"

"I am not at liberty to say. But my boss wants to talk to you himself."  
"I would be glad to."

"Byt the way," said Barrer, catching the leader try to move away. "When I was showing you all this equipment, what were you planning on doing?"

"...We need these things...to kill someone." Barrer found himself unsurprised.

"Who was it? We need to know who to avoid and embrace."  
"...You remember what happened in Alexandria."

"Unforgettable," said Barrer.

"We are going to kill Zidane Tribal. We have recieved word that he is back on the continent, and there is even a rumor that he is in Lindblum. There is no doubt he is as twisted as he used to be."

"Zidane Tribal?" Barrer was surprised at that. The name was vaguely memorable to him before, but now it was clear. He had even talked to the tailed-boy once. "My boss would-"

"Help us?"

"...Actually, yes. He is as much against him as you are. You know him?"

"I know both him and Zidane. Your boss and I are brothers, we believe the same things, we accept the same things."

"Brothers? I never expected that." The leader moved to the door, and opened it. "Wait," said Barrer. "What is your name?" The leader thought for a moment before answering.

"Atrogghus Bersobin, but my nickname is Nmi."

**BAKU HAD** his entire family ready three hours before Zidane arrived. He came with a moderate rate carriage, an average one you would see by the fairly righ of Lindblum. Usually one would'nt go to these measures in this part of the town, but no one seemed to be bothering him with it. Baku helped everyone inside, and sat with Zidane on the driver's seat.

As the carriage reached a mile outside of the town, Baku began to talk. "So, what's been happening all these years?"

"We've watched how everythig's evolved into what it is now. Sad, sad place, compared to what it used to be."

"Yeah."

"...What did they say?...Tantalus, I mean."  
"They all said something different. Cinna simply shook his head and walked away. Marcus said, 'There's no use in trying, this time. Once one brother falls through, we all do.' He then left. Blank...I don't even remember him leaving, just him teling me that if I ever found you again, to give you his word that he would find you before you found him."

"...What about Vivi, Freya, Quina, and Amarant?"

"Freya and Quina left together, not saying anything. Vivi just looked out into the city, and said, 'So this is what he wants it to be like.' Amarant kept cussing and throwing things. I don't think it would be a good idea to find him, Zidane, he might try to kill you."

The carriage bounced over the dirt path for several hours, silence overtaking everything except the squeaking wheels, until Baku began to talk again.

"Where are we going?"

"To find the other Tantalus memebers. I know where they live."

"Where?"

**THE CARRIAGE** stopped in front of one of the four stone solumns, the most Southern one. Zidane and Baku hopped off, and walked up to the door. Zidane raised his hand to knowck on the door, and paused inches away from the wood. "...Is this a good idea? It's been ten years, and we don't know which way their thoughts might have gone."

"I don't think they will do anything." Zidane looked down, thinking, then knocked on the door. It was thirty seconds before it cracked open. They couldn't see anything inside because it was too dark. The only thing they could see was a yellow ball of light...

"...Vivi?" asked Zidane. Immediately the door shut. He knocked on it again, and it opened. The yellow ball, which both Zidane and Baku determined was one of Vivi's glowing eyes, stared at them once more. "Vivi, it's us, Zidane and Baku. Let us in."

The eye disappeared, and they heard whispers in the background. Then the eye appeared again. It stayed there for a long time, and as Zidane began to talk again, he opened the door. The eyes were now gone.

Both took a step into the column, and the door immediately shut on them. They couldn't see anything. It was very cold inside, but they could smell smoke from a cigarette. "State your business," said a familiar but deeper voice.

"Blank?" asked Zidane.

"State your business," he repeated.

"Blank, it's me, Zidane. Cut on a light."

"We do not need lights to see truth." It was now colder and darker than it had been before. "We should kill you this second, but we have one question: Why did you do it?"

"I swear, Blank, I didn't do that...Where are the other guys?" The lights cut on, and they could see. Blank now had a red, short beard, and still wore the bandanna over his head. Same clothes. Marcus wore his same clothes, but long red hair stuck out from under the cloth wrapped around his head. He was also much larger than they remembered. Vivi wore a red suit much like the one they were used to, but he had grown another foot. He was at chest level with Zidane.

"It is good to see you, Zidane...", said Marcus, "...we hope."

"I did not write that letter, I promise you guys that. I had no reason to destroy Alexandria, nor Garnet. Why would we do that?"

"We don't know. We never really believed that you did it, but we were still stiunned. Hey, Baku."  
"Hello," he answered. "We're trying to reform Tantalus." The others gave him the eye.

"Reform? I would, but it depends on if Zidane here is really willing to do it, too."

"I'm all for it," Zidane said.

"Then we're in."

"...Where's Cinna?" They all looked at one another. Marcus answered with a sad voice, speaking of the news itself before the words could reach Baku.

"Cinna's...dead. He died about five years ago."

"Dead? ...How?"

"The Alexandrian army hunted us down. They hurt all of us, and killed him." Zidane slumped down into the chair in disbelief.... _Cinna dead_. That stung him. He never really thought that much about it. "Kind of wierd how no one means much until they're gone. He's gone."

"Where-" Baku was interrupted by a quieted explosion outside. They all ran to the door, and jerked it open. They saw several men surrounding the carriage and pulling Baku's family out of the car. Baku began to run.

"No!" shouted Blank, pulling him back. "If you go, they'll definently kill them. They're rebels." Then Zidane noticed something odd about their weapons. They were long stick with metal pipes on top, and rings on the bottom. 

__

Rifles... he thought. He had seen them years ago. They were still a new invention, but were becoming more and more common illegally. "They have guns," he said. "Those things shoot lead beads called 'bullets' faster than you can see them. When they hit, they go into your body, and disentegrate. It tears up everything it goes through. Most of the time, those kind of rifles will go all the way through." Now Tantalus feared the guns.

Baku slammed the door shut, and cursed. "What do we do!?" he shouted.

"There's nothing we can do," answered Marcus. "We have to let them take whoever was in that car."

"That's my family!"

"Doesn't change a thing. We can't do anything." Baku punched the wall, surprised that he cracked it. He hadn't done it since...

"We're Tantalus. We can do anything." Zidane stepped up beside him.

"He's right. We are all brothers, and nothing can stop that." Baku remembered it right there, ten years ago. He had said the same thing. "We help our brothers when we are in need. Well, Baku is our brother. We need to help him." Everyone stood.

_He was his own brother_, remembered Baku.

"Okay then," said Blank, others ready to fight like him. "What do we do?"

****

CONTINUED IN CHAPTER THREE


	3. Final Fantasy IX: Future of the Past, Pa...

Final Fantasy IX and everything related to it is Squaresoft's property.

This story was written by QualmC661.

****

Final Fantasy IX:

The Future of the Past

Chapter Three

**ZIDANE** **CLEARED** off the table, and laid a map down on the open area. "Okay, here's what we do." He pointed to a southern part on the first continent. "This is where we are. Vivi, which way are they going?" Vivi ran to the door, cracked it open, and watched about twenty chocobos, two men to a bird, ride off.

"North."

"North. Okay. Since the province of Lindblum stretches out to here-" he pointed to the center of the continent, "they will most likely turn east and head towards Alexandria for two miles."

"But we don't know where they stop," argued Blank.

"I know. We're not attacking just yet. We're finding out we're they're based. Okay, I will take a chocobo Northern of Alexandria and use binoculars. Baku, you know where they left that part of the stone mountain standing?"

"Yeah...a little North of Lindblum, far West of Alexandria."

"Right. You and Blank go up there, and watch. Marcus and Vivi, follow the rebels from behind."

Everyone was preparing to leave as Vivi caught Zidane. "Zidane, I saw that leader."

"Yeah? You recognize him?"  
"It was Nmi." Zidane stopped cold. He hadn't expected that answer.

"Nmi...what's he doing with rebels?..."

**BAKU** **LOOKED** out over the stone mountain. He was on a solid black chocobo, like Blank, a few miles West of alexandria. He could see the ruins of the city. The sacond they came into view, once again like Blank, he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Something wouldn't let him believe that Zidane hadn't destroyed it...

"I see them," said Blank. He pointed to an area that Baku couldn't exactly see. Then he saw nearly twenty yellow dots slowly budging Northward. "They're heading North." He and Baku raced down the side of the mountain. While they were going extremely fast, thay actualy managed to talk.

"Blank."

"Yeah?"

"You think Zidane really wrote that letter?" Blank didn't answer, he simply stared foward. "C'mon. Tell me."

"I don't know what to think. Let's do this first, and talk about it later."

**MARCUS AND** Vivi followed closely behind the rebels. Only three hundred yards ahead, the closest rebel could be seen. Vivi sat behind Marcus on one chocobo, since he was still too small to take his own.

"They're going too slow to be running away," said Marcus. Vivi didn't reply. "They must be doing something..."

"Maybe they're expecting us follow them?" Vivi asked. "You know, a trap."

"But they haven't set anything behind them, or avoided anything."  
"...It seems like they know we're following them, though..."

**BLANK ASKED**, "Okay, what do we do now?" He and Baku, ten minutes later, had slowed to a trot. They could just barely see Marcus and Vivi almost a thousand feet from the rebels, who walked slowly forward, to Blank's left. They were facing them from the West to the East.

"I don't know. Zidane didn't give us any orders after that.... You notice something funny about them?"

"What?"

"We're the only ones in this field," he explained, "and we can be easily seen." Blank then noticed that they were. Nothing was closer than a mile, and they were in a wheat field. Despite the brown three-foot tall stems, their larger-than-horse black chocobos stood up to their knees, and both Blank and Baku were wearing somewhat bright clothing. It was midday, so the sun was very bright. Yet the rebels didn't even turn right...

...Or they had, and ignored the two.... But why would they do that? "...I didn't notice until you said..." answered Blank.

"Something's wrong."

**THE CHOCOBO** reared back and squealed underneath Zidane as he stopped on the edge of the rocky mountain, opposite of where Vivi and Marcus were. He calmed the golden beauty as it breathed very hard, shaking him. Then he looked down over the cliffside to see twenty dark-colored chocobos riding very slowly Northward.

Then he saw Baku and Blank in the field ajacent to the path. He waved to them...and realized the rebels were'nt looking up at him. Surely he was perfectly visible? ...Wasn't he?

**NMI SLOWED** to talk to a cloaked person behind him, one he hadn't even met yet. When they were side by side, he whispered, "You saw them?"

"Two to our left, two behind us, one up on the cliff," the deep male voice answered.

"How do you know?" The hood came off his head, and Nmi could see a third eye in the back of his neck. It really made him sick, seeing dried red tissue with a hard, clear film wrapped around the edges of it. "...I never knew you...uh...had that."

"Not very many do. My name is Aein."

"Aein, I am Atrogghus Bersobin. People call me Nmi, though."

"I've heard of you. Terigan's brother," he said, putting the hood back over his solid white hair.

"Who told you that?"  
"I've known. Where is Terigan now?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," answered Nmi. He could almost tell Aein was smiling.

"Oh? I suppose not, with what you did." Nmi stopped dead in his tracks, and Aein stopped when seeing that he did, the smile leaving his face. The other moved on ahead of them.

Nmi gave him a cold stare.

"With those words, you put your life in danger."

"With those words, I'm able to turn everything on top of you." The longest moment passed before Aein said something further. "It is not your place to kill me, nor your place to say anything else."

"...What do you want?" They continued walking, now at the rear of the crowd.

"Want?" Aein smiled again. "I want...I want Alexandria restored again. I want everything to be the way it was. I _would_ blame Zidane, but not now, with what I've been told..."

"With what you've been told..." nmi thought for a second. "What _have_ you been told?"  
"Only enough to turn this army on you."

"...Then don't you tell it anymore."

"Why not? Some of them must know." Nmi was frowning. He wished he had never begun talking to this shady character...

"I have something to show you, if you'll shut up," said Nmi.

"That is-" he stopped, and leaned foward.

"Something wrong?"

"Get off your chocobo." Aein climbed off his, and walked to the side of the mountain. Nmi simply stared at him for a long time. "Get off your chocobo, if you trust me."

Nmi obeyed. He climbed off, and walked to Aein. "Look," said Aein, pointing to the crowd. Three minutes passed, and the crowd was now several hundred feet away.

"What? Look, we're going to lose our time if we don't hurry. I'm expecting to s-"

He stopped talking as arrows whizzed from each side of the crevices in the mountain. They drove through the rebels, knocking them off their chocobos. The innocent birds themselves, too, were being killed. Nmi couldn't tell what the arrows were coming from. The poisonous sticks shot from everywhere, killing everything, and sticking into the carriage the rebels had stolen.

The arrows stopped when everything was still. Men lie on the bloody ground. Chocobos were still alive, but not moving enough to appear so. Everything was quiet.

Nmi didn't say a single thing.

Aein climbed back up on to his chocobo, and looked down at him. "Perhaps you would like to take another exit."

**BLANK COULDN'T** believe what he had just seen.... "What in the world?" Baku was amazed, too, but smiled when he looked closer.

"...It was a trap...." It was one he didn't like, but nevertheless, it was a trap. "Zidane must have set it. How else would we ever get them?" Now he liked the trap more, seeing that it had saved his family.

**LATER, AFTER** Baku's family had been taken back to where Tantalus now existed, he began talking to Zidane, alone. "Zidane...thanks." He said.

"No problem," he answered. He looked on to where the trap was placed.

"My family means everything to me. I don't know what I would have done if they had all died..."

"I know what you mean...but I didn't set those traps." Baku was blown away. Then who had set the traps. _I know what you mean_.... He understood what Zidane was saying, and then wondered something...

"...How is Garnet?" Zidane smiled.

"Great, as far as I know. Haven't seen her in a week." He paused. "Since we have Tantalus reformed, we're going to return there."

"How old are you both now?"

"Twenty seven." Baku was surprised. _But what can I expect?_ he asked himself. Maybe he was only thinking about how he had aged, not everyone else.

"Why did we do it?" he asked Zidane.He didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"...Because I can't do this without your all's help," Zidane answered.

"...Do what?"

"I need all of you to help me prove I was innocent. No one will believe me if I just walk up and shout, 'I didn't do it!', with nothing to worry about. In fact, people would attempt to kill me if i did that." Baku thought long and hard about it.

Should he help him? He was a very close friend, but he remembered everything that happened during the destruction. He had lost so many friends and family members.... What if it were now? he asked himself. What if we all lived in Alexandria right now? His family, his wife, his children.... But Zidane was a close friend, too.... _He was his brother_.

He couldn't think about it anymore.

But then there was the other question.

What if it wasn't Zidane?

That sparked a whole new meaning on everything. It meant that if Zidane hadn't done that, then whoever did deserved more than death. He wasn't even worthy of a _punishment_.... And he knew, if it were true, that Zidane wanted to get the traitor back for destroying everything.

"...What do you want us to do?" asked Baku.

**AEIN, NMI** noticed, wasn't saying anything during the entire report, which took place that night. Nmi was giving his senior the statistics about everything during his mission. The senior was a head taller than everyone else there. He was very muscular. His hair was long and black, and a black goatee decorated his blank expression.

Nmi really wished Aein would help him, but the cloaked man wasn't saying anything. "Everyone," he continued, "is dead. Someone set a trap with poisonous arrows out perfectly West of Alexandria." The other man said nothing. "The only survivors are my, and this man, Aein." He nodded towards Aein.

The man finally talked. Aein wasn't surprised at how incredibly deep the tall man's voice was. "You are new to this society?" Aein simply nodded. "Then we welcome you." He looked back at Nmi. "Why are you two the only survivors?"

"He told me to get off my chocobo, and let them go on. We watched from about sixty yards away." The man smiled.

"Well, Aein, you seen to know a lot." Aein nodded once, not smiling, not frowning, just looking at him coldly. "From what I've read about you, you seem to have an ability to predict things very well. Outcomes, I mean. What, do you have eyes in the back of your head?" Nmi looked off.

"Yes," Aein answered, meaning it literally.

Nmi pulled the taller man closer, and whispered something into his ear. "Oh, I see.... Uh...I'm very sorry about that."

"No problem here."  
"Then let me introduce myself. I-"

"I know who you are," answered Aein, roughly. "Nmi said he would show me something. I want to know what it is."  
Nmi once again pulled the taller man closer, and whispered something. "Hmm.... It appears as if those eyes are a real help." The man smiled. "Fine, then, we shall show you."

**TANTALUS WATCHED** through the window as the entire conversation was goign on. Even though he was very perceptive, Zidane found, he couldn't predict that they were in the window. All three left the room, and Baku opened the window. They all slipped in to the meeting room, where Barrer had shown his "equipment" to the leader, who was the tall man.

Zidane and Baku, alone, ran through a door, and slowly followed Nmi, Aein, and the tall man for a distance.

"I think you will be quite surprised at what we have found," said the tall man.

"I am not easily surprised," Aein answered.

"I can change that," he came back. _What did he mean by that?_ Baku asked himself. They walked for about ten minutes through massive halls and staircases, until they were underground, in a cavernous area. The floor was several thousand yards wide and long, making an incredible amount of room for absolutely no one.

"We are the only ones who are allowed in here. It is strictly guarded." But Zidane and Baku had so easily slipped into the building.... Something was very, very wrong here...

"What do you have to show me?" Aein finally asked, when they reached the bottom. Nothing was around them anywhere except a thin, metal spiral staircase that they had just come from. Pushed into the wall ahead of them was a large metal door, three hundred feet high and five hundred feet wide. Nmi pushed a button at the tall man's order, and there was a cracking sound.

"We have not used it yet, but understand it perfectly," said the tall man. The door rumbled, then very slowly slid upwards. When it was fully open, electronic lights cut on.

"What are those?" Baku asked quietly.

"Electronics. They use something called electricity to operate, a lot like the Mist, but safer. All you have to do it push a button, and those lights cut on, a door can open, etc..."

When the lights had gone from dim to extremely bright, Zidane, Baku, and Aein were amazed at what they saw.

A large, solid silver collection of three balls rolled around each other at a very great speed. Several smaller, purple and black balls whizzed around everywhere. The large silver ones had a radius of a hundred feet, and the small ones were the size of a fist. It was stunning.

Nmi pushed a button, and everything stopped, but it seemed as if they did in a specific order. The three balls lined up from top to bottom, as if balancing on each other, and the smaller balls acted as a purple/black coat for each one, covering the outside of all of them completely.

"What is it?" asked Aein, very impressed. He had seen nothing like this before.

"We didn't know what it was, at first, until he-" he pointed at the taller man "-used it once. He used it for the purpose you described to me on the way here..."

"...But what _is_ it?"

"That's what we call it, now. We cal it 'Is'."

"Why?"

"When you use it," explained the taller man, "you can change anything you want to."

"Huh?"

"What I said. You can change _anything_ you want to. History, the way the world works, systems, people, events.... All you have to do is use it."

"...How can I use it?"

"Nmi and I are planning to use it for...special reasons..."

"...What have you done already?" asked Aein, not taking his eyes off of it."

"We controlled a Burmecian named Barrer, and had him bring much of the newest technology to us for better use."

"...But it's not real technology, is it?"

"No. We made them think of things people will discover in several hundred, if not thousand, years."

"What else?"

"We changed history...in a way..."

"Huh?

"You know the incedent you brought up?" Aein looked at him.

"...That was _you_?" asked Aein, in surprise. "...Explain."

"Quite simple, really. I had Zidane write a letter to us to destroy Alexandria, _ten years ago_. Alexandria could still exist, but we haven't used it to do that, yet."

Zidane was stunned. _They had done it_. _They were the traitors_. _His memories, ones of writing AND not writing the letters_..._which ones were real?_

_Had he destroyed Alexandria?_

What else had they done?

What were they about to do?

Then Zidane suddenly recognized, with great pain and disbelief, who the tall man was. His old friend, who had no reason to destroy him at all. The man who used to have long, white hair, beard, and mustach. The man he trusted Alexandria with.

It was Terigan.

****

CONTINUED IN CHAPTER 4


	4. Final Fantasy IX: Future of the Past, Pa...

Final Fantasy IX and everything related to it is Squaresoft's property.

This story was written by QualmC661.

****

Final Fantasy IX:

The Future of the Past

Chapter Four

****

THEN AEIN'S eye blinked in the back of his head. His eye was not really effective. It could not hardly do anything except make out shapes, and if it turned, it was very painful. Blinking was impossible; there was no eyelid. No the eye was very unhealthy. Being born with it, as a defect, he decided to put it to good use. By the age of ten, during school, he could see when kids were coming to beat on him. He would have at least thirty seconds in advance to do anything.

Now it was giving him another advantage. Aein could easily see Zidane and some other bulky, shadowy shape. He leaned to Terigan, and whispered, "Do _not_ look behind you." Terigan listened. "They are here. I can see them." Terigan straightened up, and looked at Nmi.

"I think it is time to use the machine," he said quietly, jerking his eyes towards Zidane and Baku. Nmi didn't even look, and did his best at acting.

"...Yessir, if you wish." Terigan walked up to the bottom, silver ball, and looked at it. He could see his reflection, and that of those around him. He couldn't understand why he didn't see it before. Their enemie's reflections were caught in the ball.

Zidane watched as he put his hand on the silver texture, and simply disappeared. Nmi did the same, and then Aein. He turned to Baku. "What do we do now?"

"...Let's go in." Zidane was about to object, but he had heard what Terigan had explained about the machine; it could change anything. _Anything_. That meant that anything was in danger.

**ZIDANE TOUCHED** the outside of the bottom silver, reflective ball. It may sound comical, but it was true; he felt like his fingers could do anything they wanted. It was a very different sensation. They felt much stronger and more powerful than they had ever been. Then he put his palm on it. Now it felt as powerful, like he could carry hundreds of bricks. Bricks? Trees. Trees?...

Then he was pulled off his feet. He felt like he was going to smash right into the surface, but he glided gently through it.

Baku watched in amazement. He then touched the surface himsef, and was pulled into it rapidly.

**THEY BOTH** floated in nothing. One couldn't say it was black; it wasn't. One couldn't say it was even empty; it wasn't. It was indescribable by words. There were no colors, nothing between white and black. Nothing, not even nothing itself, was inside it. Just Zidane and Baku. Zidane reached for something - anything - without success. He kicked around, going nowhere...there was nowhere to go, or to come from. Then they both suddenly realized they could see everything.

_Everything_. Not by sight, but by knowledge. They were thinking about everything they already knew about at once. Zidane thought it would hurt his head after a while, but after ten minutes, it hadn't affected him any. He was thinking about Alexandria, Tantalus, Vivi, Garnet, everything.

Then he tried to think about when he wrote the letter. _That should help me_, he thought. _If I can think about everything, I'll know if I really wrote it or not_.

He appeared in a stone-layered room, in one of the columns. The one he used to live in. It was the farthest East. He saw himself sitting at a table. He was writing something.... Walking to the figure of himself, he began to speak. "Hey." He didn't answer, just continued writing. Zidane looked down at the paper his other self was writing. It read:

__

Order to Atrogghus and Terigan Bersobin

From King Zidane Tribal and Garnet Tribal, Leaders of Alexandria

Zidane: Greetings to you both, but time is short. I am assigning you both a new work order: I need you to fire upon Alexandria until everyone living there is gone, and not a building is standing. Do not ask why. It may seem surprising, but you aer to attack the hour you recieve this message. I will meet you in person soon.

He was stunned. He took two steps back, and looked around the room. _He had actually written the letter? Then how come he also remembered not writing it, too?_ He saw himself, again, beside a fire, throwing wood into it. It was quickly dying. Then he looked back to himself writing the letter.

_Both are what I remember_. He remembered putting the wood itno the fire and writing the letter at the same time. But why?

He suddenly found himself sitting in a room he had never seen before. He looked around it, and saw stone walls. He was back in Alexandria. Beautiful red veils hung down the walls. Magnificent stone architecture promised for a castle and city that would last forever...

He saw Nmi writing a letter beside him, just two feet away. How come Nmi hadn't seen him yet? "Nmi." No answer. "Nmi, can you hear me?" Apparently, he couldn't; he gave no answer. The man continued writing. Zidane looked over his shoulder to see what he was writing.

Before he could read it, he was surprised by the door slamming open. He and Nmi turned, but Nmi's shoulder went through Zidane's stomach...without an impact. Nmi stood and greeted Terigan, the taller brother who immediately walked toward him. They shook hands, and Terigan ran to the door, shutting and locking it.

"I've found something."

"What is it?" Terigan quickly pulled out a small piece of yellowed, folded paper, and handed it to Nmi. "...What is it?" he asked again, observing the drawing. Zidane looked closely at it, and realized that it was a quickly hand drawn picture of the machine he had used to do what he was doing.

"It is a machine. A machine used to change."

"A machine used to change...change what?"

"Everything."

"...Sure. Where did you get this from?" Nmi asked.

"A guy downstairs arrived to tell me about it in private. He says he has the machine, and he wants to talk about letting us use it."

"...If he has such a machine, why doesn't he just do it himself?"

"I don't know. He just insists that it's real, and won't let up. He wants us to come and look at it."

Zidane now saw that he was in a basement of a building. There was a black haired man standing with the two brothers, talking.

"You two wish to see it?"

"Listen, leave us alone," ordered Nmi. "It's that simple. If you want money, go talk to a laywer. He can give you a loan up to thirt-"

"I don't want your money. I want to share with you a piece of technology that is very primitive and old."

"Than we don't want to see-"

"Yes, you do. This was made before people came to Gaia. They designed it to change the world to how they like it."

"...And why has no one used it?" he asked. Terigan was beaming with glee.

"Who said they haven't used it? They _have_, just not to where you see it." Nmi cocked an eyebrow. "Understand that if something changes in your past, you will remember it as that." He gestured to a window. As Nmi and Terigan walked to it, they both stopped halfway. Zidane walked closer to see what they were looking at. He stopped, too, after seeing it.

He saw the machine in a large, paved, indoor room. Men and women were taking notes on it, drawing pictures, making their best assessments.

Then he found himself inside the room. Through a window, he could see that it was pitch black outside, probably late that night. Terigan, Nmi, and the man were all standing right beside the machine. "You may be the first person in this century to use it, if you wish." Terigan walked up to it, and touched it. As he was lifted off the ground, he let go, and fell to the floor.

"What should I do?" he asked.

"Whatever you want. Someone you don't like? Something you really hate? Recreate it. Change it. Destroy it. That power is in your hands." Terigan nodded, and disappeared inside the ball.

_Recreate it_._ Change it_. _Destroy it_. That simple? You can actually do anything you want with it? You could destroy the world...or become the ruler of it...

The second he left, he came back. "How come he wasn't in there but a second?" asked Nmi.

"I was in there for five days, what are you talking about!?" asked Terigan. Then he smiled.

"What did you do?" asked the man.

"I...never liked how I had such a superior as...." He paused, and chuckled.

"Zidane?" asked Nmi. He was concerned, not excited.

"Yes."

"You destroyed him?"

"No, but something almost as bad, if not worse." Nmi looked at him in question. "I made him write a letter to us a week from now, telling us to destroy Alexandria. That way, everyone will be after him, and he will eventually die."

_They had done it_, thought Zidane. _They had destroyed Alexandria through me_.

"You..._did_...remember to make him remember writing the letter?" The smile dropped from Terigan's face.

"Oops."  
"...We can do it later. Meanwhile, I want you three over-" He pointed at three scientists, and his voice was turning to a mumble.

_I still have the memory_._ They had forgotten to erase the memory_.

**BAKU WAS** in his own realization. He was thinking, the whole time, about how Terigan and Nmi had actually done it themselves. But when the thought came around to his family, he could see them. Terigan, Nmi, and Aein, all floating through the emptiness. They couldn't see him.

"You understand it now?" asked Nmi.

"Yes," said Aein. "I've understood it for a long time."

"What do you mean?" asked Terigan.

Aein explained. "I was the one who showed it to you."

Terigan's mouth dropped. "You...you explained about the machine?"

"Yes. I did everything." Baku couldn't believe it. He turned to tell Zidane, and found himself on the floor of the bottom room. The only thing in the wide open area were metal, spiral stairs reaching up for a door high above him.

Then he found he had two memories, like Zidane had described. He remembered telling his son about Alexandria being destroyed. Tucking his two daughters into the bed. Coming in on the chocobos, Ptera and Candy, into Lindblum. Making his choice to go to Lindblum from the paths. But why was he remembering them in reverse order?

Then he had different memories:

**THE LIGHT** shone in his eyes as he opened the door. Lindblum was quieter than it had been. No one was outside except Zidane with his carriage and chocobos, which were bridled and attached to it. He walked over to Baku, and shook his hand heartily. Then they heard footsteps.

Dozens.

Hundreds.

Thousands.

He turned right, and saw troops from Lindblum marching towards their direction. The leader halted, and everyone behind him did so. He raised a hand, a trumpet played, and he began talking. "By order of Governors Terigan and Atrogghus Bersobin, you are under arrest. You will be taken to Alexandria during your captivity. Do not resist." A dozen soldiers arrested Baku and Zidane, then ran inside to take his family.

**BAKU FELT** himself lift off the floor, and was charged by a bright light.

He found himself in a courtroom...in Alexandria! The courtroom that was built very shortly after marriage, beside the theater. Around him were thousands of people, circling him. Beside him was Zidane Tribal, in chains, like Baku himself. His family was sitting at a table, which was guarded by at least ten guards. There was no escape.

"Zidane Tribal, accused of ten thousand, nine hundred and sixty two acts against the Alexandrian government. Major act is crime of self destruction, prevented ten years ago by the current rulers of Lindblum. How do you plead?"  
Zidane looked around. "...This is rediculous."

"How do you plead!?" asked the man, sitting at a throne. Baku found him as very familiar...why?"

"...This is crazy! You people know yourselves that I wouldn't attack Alexandria! I was king!"

"See, sir?" asked a man, walking around them both. He had a short black beard, and was Baku's height. "The monkey pleads innocent, and at the same time, proves that he is mentally unstable." Zidane glared at him. "He lies about becoming king. When was this?" The people muttered, and Baku suddenly realized that he remembered Zidane, although being King, _not_ being King. Terigan, Nmi, and Aein had changed something. Now everyone thought they both had given orders to destroy it, signed by their leader.

Alexandria had never been annihilated.

**ZIDANE** **CONTINUED** to watch as everything was being changed, right before his eyes. He saw Terigan, Nmi, and Aein making things happen. They would announce the things, and whatever they said would become true. "...Baku and Zidane will be arrested the day after they meet again," Nmi said. He could see the thousands of soldiers marching towards them both on the bright day.

"I can do better," said Terigan. He sighed, closed his eyes, and began to state something. "...We are the leaders of Lindblum." Zidane watched as they saw themselves being elevated to the Governors of the city."

"Or better yet, what if we existed at the same time _we_ did, and we were the rulers of Lindblum right after Alexandria was destroyed? ...Make it so," ordered Nmi. Then they watched as the beautiful town of Lindblum changed into what it was now. From a stunningly glorious kingdom to a nasty, filthy, rough warzone-type area. _That's how it became what it was_, thought Zidane.

"Very good," said Terigan. "How about you, Aein? Something you wish to change?"  
"No." Aein wasn't smiling, for some reason.

"Come on, you must have something you don't like. Something you wish for...eh?"

Aein thought for a second. "...What if I had been ruler of something since I was young?"

"You may if you wish," said Terigan, smiling broadly.

"...I am leader of..."

**BAKU SAW **something he hadn't noticed before. The man in the throne. Wasn't he a little shorter?...

"You are both proven guilty beyond reason," said the leader. "Take them away." Then Baku knew what was going on.

"...Hey...Hey, wait a minute! What am I guilty for!?" Then he remembered helping Zidane write the letter, and not.

_They're doing this right now_.

"No..." he said. He recognized the leader as the soldiers grabbed his arms. "...Aein! Let us go! No! _We didn't do anything!!!_" he shouted as loud as he possibly could, as the men drug them to the prison.

Aein was now the leader of Alexandria, which was never destroyed.

****

CONTINUED IN CHAPTER FIVE


	5. Final Fantasy IX: Future of the Past, Pa...

Final Fantasy IX and everything related to it is Squaresoft's property.

This story was written by QualmC661.

****

Final Fantasy IX:

The Future of the Past

Chapter Five

**ZIDANE AWAKENED** on the floor, underneath the bottom silver ball. He looked around, and found that he wasn't tired. ...Why was he here? How did he get here? He hadn't wanted to come out yet...

...Then it came to him...

...They had ordered him out of the machine.

But he could just go back in, couldn't he? He turned, and put one hand on the bubble. It rippled under his hand, but did nothing. A loud, deep screech filled the air for five seconds as he pulled it away. 'Is', as they called it, was not responding to him. Then something struck him.

Where was all this technology coming from? The rifles, the things on their head? Had they come from the machine? Apparently so. Someone made technology from the future come to the present time. Why? What were they planning to do with it?

He turned, and searched for...

"...Baku?"

**HE WAS** in prison, actually, several miles from Zidane's point. Or was it a few feet? Zidane was sitting on a bed about five feet away. Baku wasn't sure if he knew what was going on...

"Zidane."

"Yeah?"

"...You remember Terigan? Nmi? What they did?"

"What are you talking about, Baku?" He didn't know.

"Don't you remember Aein?"

"Aein who? You mean the leader?"

"Yeah."

"What about him?"

"...Why didn't he accept that you were actually King once?"

"...Huh? You feeling okay?" It hit Baku like a ton of bricks.

"You know, when you announced that you used to be leader of Alexandria."

"...I never said that." Terigan and Nmi were doing something.

**TERIGAN AND** Nmi watched as things took their course. Aein couldn't help but smile. King of Alexandria? This was too easy...

That's when he saw it. _This was too easy_. Why weren't things any harder than they were now?

"...Aein." It was Nmi. He turned to him. "You okay?"

"Fine."

"Look. don't worry about this. There's nothing that can go wrong. As long as we're in 'Is', we're okay." Then there was a rumble.

**THEY WERE** outside of the machine. Zidane and Baku were nowhere to be seen, and from what they remembered, no one had entered the machine without proper permission...

Then why were they forced out?

**BAKU WAS** asking himself the same question when he noticed that Zidane hadn't appeared there with him. Why hadn't he been brought to prison, like himself? Instead, the past Zidane was there with him, not knowing what had actually happened. He turned to Baku, and asked, "What were you talking about earlier?"

"...Listen, I'm going to explain this to you once, and it will sound strange, but you have to believe me." He cleared his throat, then continued. "You were really once King of Alexandria, married to Garnet, who was then named Garnet Tribal. You went on vacation for a few weeks, and during that time, Terigan and Nmi recieved a letter to cause a self-destruct on Alexadria."

"They attacked it? But they're in Lindblum."

"No, pay attention. Before, they were the leaders of the army after Steiner and Beatrix were married."

"Who are they?" Baku paused, then shook his head.

"Never mind. Anyway, they said you gave them orders to destroy the city. What really happened was they used a machine they called 'Is' to change history, things, people, events, the whole works. They changed what you were actually doing to destroy the city. You were innocent, but they were the only ones who knew it. Now, the machine stil exists, and has been tampered with. I don't know where you were...the one who was with me, anyway."

"...Whoa, whoa, slow down. You're telling me there's a machine that can change _anything_? That's kinda hard to believe-" Then he stopped. No, it _wasn't_ that hard to believe. That was why he had the two memories of the same thing...

"Terigan, Nmi, and Aein are our enemies here. We have to find some way to get out of here and change everything."

"...That's hard to do. There's guards all over the place, and none of them have the key." Almost as if on que, the door snapped open, and all was quiet. They couldn't even remember there being any guards.

"...Zidane, is that you?"

"What?"  
"No, I mean the one who was with me." The one he was currently with shrugged as both exited the cell. Something odd was going on.

**ACTUALLY, ZIDANE** was inside the castle by the time they had escaped. He had come on Baku's chocobo, Ptera, and was now in the lobby area. Everything was different. _It's probably better destroyed_, he thought. Black and blue veils hung from the ceiling. Black suits of armor and several stains in rugs and cloth decorated the area. Everything was almost wrecked, but still being used anyway.

He ran through the lobby, leaving the bird where it was. After running for a few seconds, he found himself in a hall. He looked one way, towards something outside...beside the theater. He started towards it, but stopped. He didn't hear it, but felt something inside..._NO_. He looked around for someone, somebody that might have uttered the word, but found no one.

Then a man was walking down the hall from the door. Half a dozen guards followed. He pointed to Zidane, and said something. Al the guards began rushing after him. ...Who was he?...

_Aein_.

Zidane turned and began to run back down the other way. He drew two long swords, what he had traded off for his daggers, and turned to fight. Once again, he felt the word itself, not by hearing it.

_NO_.

He sheathed the swords, and ran back towards a kitchen.

**NMI SIGHED** as the small party of three arrived outside the castle. "You got what you wanted," announced Terigan. "You are leader of this city." Then he chuckled. "...You better hope you take a liking to yourself."

Aein shrugged it off. They continued.

**BAKU AND** Zidane had made it to the upper levels. They were now in a cafeteria. Guards poured through doors the second they arrived. The leader, a tall man in armor, said loudly, "He's not here. Keep looking." As soon as he saw Baku and Zidane, he pointed and shouted, "Wait! There he is!"

Baku looked for a weapon, and found nothing. As one guard charged at him, he picked up a chair, and slammed it over the helmet. The guard laughed as it broke over his well-proteted head. Then Baku hit him in the stomach, knocking the air out of him. Zidane climbed up onto the middle of the folding tables, and kicked one guard over his helmet. The heavy man fell backwards onto one side. The body hit the table; the table folded upwards rapidly; Zidane, being on the fold, shot up into the air. He grabbed a rafter above his head,

Baku was knocked onto a table. The soldier raised his sword to kill his opponent, and a small object fell on top of him. Zidane strangled the man from behind until the soldier lay motionless on the floor. Both turned and ran through the first door they saw.

**AEIN WAS** standing in the middle of a hallway as the leader version of himself walked up to him. Both were identical. "...Do I know you?" asked the leader.

"...I think you do," said Aein, and Terigan and Nmi began to laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"...Let's talk about it. I can help you catch Zidane and the fat one you are chasing." The leader smiled.

"...I think I like you three. Come with me." He led them towards the courtroom.

**ZIDANE, RUNNING** into the kitchen, quickly caught his breath before more soldiers arrived in attempt to capture him. One struck at him; he rapidly dodged, and fell onto a table. A sword came down, and he rolled, sparks erupting from the surface of the counter. Now he was on his hands and knees. He crawled underneath the table as one of the five climbed on top. Zidane, while underneath, drew his two swords, and rolled out. Quikly standing, he was greeted with a very thick sword, which would have made him lose his head.

He struck at his enemy's hand, dismembering it from the arm, and knocked his opponent off his feet. Two ran around one side, and two around the other, both sides quickly gaining on him. They started in on him-

-until Baku knocked two of them in the head with a massive wooden spoon, the length of a pitchfork and the weight of a sledgehammer. It _clonked_ against their heads as they fell to the ground. _Good as my hammer_, thought Baku. Zidane turned and defended against both soldiers. One was about to cut his throat-

-until-himself?-pulled the enemy backwards by the neck. He watched in amazement as his other self choked the man. After realizing what was going on, he knocked the weapon from the other soldier, and sent the man running for help. When all was quiet, Zidane looked at himself.

"...You're...uh..."

"...Me."

"Yeah." Baku looked at both of them. He knew it was very strange to meet yourself, but...

"...Hey, we don't have time to chit chat with ourselves. We have to get Terigan, Nmi, and Aein." Before anything further was said, they were off to 'Is'.

**WHEN THEY **arrived, they could hear the wheels of some other carriage coming their way. They quickly rushed down to the basement. "...Will someone tell me what's going on?" asked the younger Zidane.

"...No. You'll see soon enough."

"...What's going on?" he asked, anyway. The older walked over to him, put a hand on his shoulder, and shook his other hand.

"Never thought I'd do this, but I'm going to thank myself. Thanks." When they parted, the older walked up to the machine. "...I just hope this will let me in now." He touched the surface, and floated into the air. When he was gone, baku looked over to the younger Zidane. The younger was surprised at what was happening, himself. He held up his hand as he disintegrated into dust, floating up into the air. First his hands, arms, legs, body, then head.

Baku shook his head in amazement, then walked up to the machine, prepared to touch the surface.

**TERIGAN AND **Nmi had explained to the leader Aein about the machine, and everything it could do. "Now, we're tired of having Zidane running around. First we were wanting to give him bad luck. Then torment him. Then torture him. Now we finally want to destroy him...and, uh...why did you bring...uh..." He motioned to the Leader's wife, who was sitting in the back.

"You say Zidane was the former leader of Alexandria?"  
"...Yes. What does that ave to do with it?"

"...Then she was his wife. One he loved. Just to give him a last terrible moment, I want to pull that little stunt."

"I see your point," said Nmi.

"...But why are we doing this to him, especially?"

"He is a threat to us and what we stand for," answered Terigan. That was all he said to explain. Nothing further.

Garnet climbed up to where her husband was, and smiled as he put his arm around her. As they kissed, Nmi was fighting back the urge to laugh. Aein, who was in the furthest back seat, sat alone, in his own world, thinking.

..._It's all to easy_.... _Why?_

**ZIDANE MET** Baku inside the machine. The sensation of knowing everything was overtaking him again. "Baku."

"What?"  
"...Do you like...'Is'?"

"...It makes me uncomfortable."

"Me too." The emptiness around them was starting to rush in on them.... Now that they knew the full power of the machine, it was almost terrifying to think about what would happen if someone largely misused it...

Stop for a moment, and think.... What would happen if they used it that way? It had only been slightly misused; the destruction of a city and a man's life are nothing compared to the destruction of the universe. Or if it's creation was prevented. Or if everything past man's imagination was destroyed...

...Then that says something, to. Man's mind is limited to what he is used to. We think of 'everything' as physically everything around them, air, water, living things, non-living things.... But there must be something past 'everything'. Something that does not include. What would that be?...

...Zidane wondered these things himself as he drifted through the emptiness. Then he noticed something he hadn't seen before...someone else? He fought to go faster in the direction of the person, but with no success. "Hey!" he shouted. The person turned to him. "Who are you?" Somehow, some way, the figure drifted closer to them both...

...Aein. "Stay back!" shouted Zidane, drawing his weapons...what weapons? Where had they gone?

"Don't be afraid of me."

"Stay back, you're crazy..." Aein jerked back in surprise.

"What have I done?"

"What have you done? You-" Then Zidane stopped. He noticed Aein appeared younger...slightly younger..._decades_ younger. "...How old are you?"

"Seventeen. What are you doing here so soon?" What was he talking about..._So soon_? Plus, the Aein Zidane originally knew was around fifty or sixty..._seventeen?_

"...What do you mean, so soon?"

"You are here very early for new ones."

"New whats?" asked Baku, now very interested. This wasn't a cold, dark, fifty year old Aein. He was friendly, looked intelligent, and was very warm.

"...You know what I mean. And you look very different from them, too."

"...We don't understand. Please explain..." Aein cocked his head.

"Follow me."

**NMI WAITED** outside 'Is' with his older brother, Aein, the Leader version of Aein, and Garnet. He still did not ask for their last name, though he was interested in it. The plan was perfect; wait for them to come out, and kill Zidane. They would waste no time, of course. In most instances, as Nmi had heard about and often read about, one would tease the enemy before killing them, and end up being destroyed themselves. They were not that stupid.

**AEIN, THE** younger, was inside 'Is', and was showing Zidane and Baku what was going on. He waved a hand, and they saw an image of Gaia. Around it were hundreds, thousands, millions, billions of stars. Nothing else was able to be seen. "This was home to you," said Aein, "correct?" Zidane nodded. "We call it Gaia. We came from 'Beginning', a place we can not describe ourselves."

Three silver balls-what Baku assumed was 'Is'-rushed by them, and headed towards Gaia. "This was _our_ home. We lived in this place, a place of perfection. We needed to find a place with different ways, a place of different life. We were looking for somewhere where you only had to concentrate on one thing at a time. A place where you could walk, feel, have emotions, see things, let them happen without the fear of being destroyed. But we were told that day was years off, at least eight.

I couldn't wait that long. With the fear of being sought after and killed, as our civilization was in war, I came up with a plan; what if I could go through time? What if I could go foward through those eight years, and be here quickly?"

"What if you just made everyone else like you?" asked Zidane, wondering why he hadn't done that. "Or destroyed them?"

"You cannot alter a person inside this place except through physical contact. Commands have no effect on living things, here. So, your ancestors, thousands of years back, lived in this universe of itself.

Now, what I did was foward to a time that I would most likely live, which would be a place where was used to the technology, the food, the clothing...basically where I would fit in. I came to your time. What has happened to me?"

Zidane explained. "...We don't exactly know, but you've basically given the machine to the wrong people, and misused it."

"Machine? What machine?"

"This...all this," said Baku.

"I would never do such a thing! ...I watched myself...I _did_ do it," he said, contradicting himself. A look of horror overcame his face.

"Right," replied Zidane. "...You were the one who followed us around the castle...the one who told me 'NO'?"

"And opened the prison doors for us?" asked Baku.

"That was me."

"Then we'll have to thank you, and ask you to come back with us, to help us save you from yourself." Aein thought a moment, then nodded.

**WHEN THEY** came out of the machine, Terigan, Nmi, and two Aeins were already waiting for them. "So, you have finally arrived," said Terigan. Then he saw Baku and the younger, innocent Aein. "...Who are they?"

"We are your enemy, Terigan. I never should have trusted you with Alexandria."

"No, you should have never trusted me with that machine." He motioned to the Leader Aein, who had Garnet in his arms. Zidane about ran to her, then stopped.

"What have they done to you?" asked Zidane. She smiled in a dark way.

"I've never seen you before," she said. Zidane's nightmares had been realized. He turned, and ran to 'Is'. He reached for the surface, but there was only the loud screech as he pulled his hand away. He beat on the surface while his enemies laughed at him. He turned, and Baku and the younger Aein were gone. _Where are they!?_ Zidane asked himself. His head was screaming in rage through its thoughts.

"It is sad for you, though. We thought it might be smart to permanently give ourselves the power, so we could come out of 'Is' and still use it." Terigan was grinning broadly now. "It is also sad that Baku and your other friend are dead." He motioned to the bodies of Baku, the younger Aein, and Tantalus, which were all on the floor, motionless. "They are all nothing now, Zidane. You cannot join us. You cannot fight us. You can do nothing but listen to us and our commands. You can do nothing but die. Who shall go first?" he asked, to the people behind him.

"I will," said Nmi.

"No, I will," said the Leader Aein.

"Why don't we let the one he loves give him his first doom?" asked Terigan, smiling at her. Garnet walked closer to Zidane, and crossed her arms.

"Garnet, what are you doing? I love you..." said Zidane, walking backwards. All hope was lost for him now. She was the only thing that stood between him and anything in the world right now. What was she going to do?

"Hmm..." she put a finger to her chin. "There's only so many things you can suffer from..."

His mouth dropped in horror as all the others laughed.

****

CONTINUED IN CHAPTER SIX


End file.
